Chris Barker follows a route around Chippenham

This walk is on the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk border and the edge of the Fens, and takes in the hamlet of Badlingham with its stables and studs. You will also be walking beside the River Kennett and although the first three quarters of a mile is on a hard-surface, the rest of it is on mostly well-maintained paths and tracks, although some tracks can get slightly waterlogged after heavy rain.

Start the walk with your back to the church, turn right along a pavement and you will come to New Street on your right. Turn right here, walking on a pavement to your left. When the pavement runs out, carry on in the same direction, walking on the road. After some distance the road will swing left, then right – you are now walking in the small hamlet of Badlingham.

Cross a bridge and you will come to a house on your right. Turn right just after this house, onto a concrete drive, unsigned, keeping that same house to your right. You will then have a privet hedge to your left. Once the hedge ceases, carry straight on along a gravel drive, soon coming to a large wooden gate in front of you. Go through to a smaller gate to the left of this, by a footpath sign, and carry straight on, with a large green barn to your left.

After the barn, turn left by a footpath sign, keeping that same barn to your left. The drive will swing to the right but you should carry straight on, with a hedge to your left and another barn to the right. Cross a stile to the left of a metal gate and continue in the same direction, on a green track with a hedge to the left.

Keep to this path until you meet a stile, which you should cross before continuing in the same direction, with a tall hedge to your left and a barbed wire fence to your right. This path will take you out onto a drive. Turn right here, having fences both sides. You will come to two footpath signs on your right, one after the other. Turn right at the first one, walking on a green path with fences both sides.

The path will swing left under the A11, after which it swings left again. Stick to it, having the A11 to the left. Keep to this path as it swings right and takes you out onto a road. Turn right here and at a T-junction of roads, with the Red Lodge public house to your left, turn right, walking on a pavement.

When the pavement ceases, carry on in the same direction along the road and you will almost immediately come to a footpath sign on your right. Turn right here, along a path between trees. When you emerge from the trees you will be faced by a large field. Turn right here, with trees to your right, walking on a green path. When you come to the field boundary on your left, turn right, walking on the semi-hard track. About 10 yards before you get to the River Kennett, turn left, walking between some iron railings and blackberry bushes slightly uphill.

Once up, turn right, with railings to your right and walking on another concrete path which will almost immediately swing left under a bridge. Once under, carry straight on, along a green path with blackberry bushes both sides. This will take you out onto another concrete track. Turn left and the concrete track will then become a semi-hard track that swings to the right, having trees to your right.

At a footpath sign on your right, turn left, walking on a track with a hedge to your right. Follow the track as it swings to the right, having a tall hedge to your right. At another footpath sign to your left, turn left, walking on another track with a hedge to your left. When the track swings left, carry straight on, walking on a green path with a hedge to your left.

Cross a green track running parallel in front of you, having a footpath sign to your right. Go through the gap in the barbed wire fence and carry straight on with a barbed wire fence to your left. You will come to another footpath sign to your left. Turn right, walking on a track with a wood to your left. Follow the track as it swings left, keeping the same wood to your left. The track swings right but you should carry straight on, along an unsigned path with trees to your left and a hedge to your right.

When you come to a T-junction of paths, turn left with a fence to your right and a hedge to your left. This will bring you out onto a road. Turn right along the pavement, which swings right and will take you back to the church where you started.